CUCB Goals & No-Bake Protein Confetti Mug Cake

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary sample pack of Naked Nutrition protein for review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This weekend I'll be running the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in DC, and I'm pretty excited! The last time I ran the race was in 2013 (read my race recap here) so it'll be great to be back.  

Goal wise, I really just want to have fun (Goal A) and run sub-1:20 (Goal B).

 I ran it in 1:13 and change in 2013, but don't know how I'll be feeling this weekend. The cherry blossoms have already hit peak bloom so I have a chance of seeing some flowers. Also it's supposed to be cold & windy with sub-40 degrees at the start which is not my favorite. School plus work plus other obligations has really messed with my schedule so there have been a lot of missed runs and workouts in the past month. I'm ready to get back on track in April, especially with all these races, but don't think I'm in any sort of PR shape! 

I'm also really excited to be running as a social media ambassador for the race and hopefully getting to see Joan Benoit Samuelson and Meb Keflezighi. Yes, I will be run-nerding it out hardcore.  I read Meb is running a cool 6:00/mile pace if you want to try to keep up! Check out this list of Five Things To Know Before Heading to the CUCB for some pre-race weekend tips. 

 I know there's lots of people running so definitely say hi if you see me! 

A couple months ago, Naked Nutrition reached out to me and offered me some samples of their protein powders to try out.  

While "clean-eating" is a trendy term being thrown around all over the place in the food industry, I was excited to try their protein powders because they offered so many different types including whey, casein, brown rice, pea, and goat whey protein powders. 

They have vegan options and all of their protein powders are soy & gluten-free, GMO and hormone-free, and free of any artificial sweeteners, colors, or flavors. My favorite part of all is that all of their protein powders include one ingredient-protein! In a sea of protein powders that contain ingredients I can't pronounce, this is awesome.  

Here's the nutritional information from the Whey protein sample packet

I used a bit of all the different types of protein in shakes and couldn't tell much of a texture or taste difference, so I think it just depends on what type of protein you prefer 

Naked Nutrition had a bunch of delicious looking protein recipes on their website so I decided to try one out to see how their protein tastes in other  things besides shakes. I adapted this basic vanilla no-bake cake in a bowl from Naked Nutrition and decided to make it in a mug and use sprinkles to make it a confetti cake.  You can always adapt it to what you have on hand or what kind of cake you're craving! 

I also used the Naked brown rice protein powder in this recipe. I love that this version is vegan (gluten, dairy, and soy-free too) as well as packs 25 g of protein and 4.9 grams of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) per serving, making it great for a post-workout snack. It also tasted really well in the microwaved mug cake with no weird flavors. 

No-Bake Protein Confetti Mug Cake {Adapted from Naked Nutrition}

Ingredients    

(yields 1 single-serve cake)

3 tbsp applesauce

2 tbsp maple syrup

3 tbsp milk (of choice-I used almond milk)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp flour

3 tbsp pancake mix 

1 scoop of protein powder (I used Naked Rice protein powder)

Directions

1. Place all ingredients except for the flour, pancake mix, and protein powder into a blender, and blend until fully mixed.   

2. Add the flour, pancake mix, and protein powder into the blender, and blend until mixed again. 

3. Pour the batter into a greased microwave-safe mug and top with sprinkles. 

4. Microwave on high for about 2 minutes until cooked through. Wait for the mug to cool, top with a few more sprinkles, and enjoy!

This post was linked up with my fave Friday Linkup DC ladies ( Courtney, Mar, and Cynthia ) as well as Heather, Nicole, Jill, and Amanda .

Are you racing this weekend? What is your favorite protein powder?